Ricky Hatton forever entered the history of world boxing as a winner Bones Tszyu... And although the fight that took place in June 2005 is difficult to classify as legendary, nevertheless, it was he who put an end to Kostya Tszyu's career. After seven years, this fight still raises a lot of questions, and the most important of them is - how could the great Kostya Tszyu lose not even to a boxer, but to some street hooligan?
However, that is why he lost, as he went out to box, but Hatton suggested a certain mix from boxing, street fight and struggle, for which Kostya was completely unprepared. Everyone who saw this meeting probably remembered Hatton's dirty tricks - his endless clinches, punches on the verge of a foul and an extremely viscous manner of fighting, which has little in common with boxing. But there are misfires for all great champions, to whom, of course, Kostya Tszyu also belongs.
Having won, or rather, having exhausted and weakened Tszyu, Hatton decided that he had managed to grab the Lord himself by the beard, and he, without any hesitation, set off to conquer the world. At first, the conquest went well, and Hatton greatly improved his well-being, and at the same time decided that he was the greatest of the greats. And how not to decide if there was not a single defeat on his account, and the account of victories exceeded the fifth dozen.
But then he met Floyd Mayweather Jr., who also considered himself the greatest of the greats and also had no defeat. In addition, Mayweather, like Hatton, loved to hooligan both in the ring and in life, and Hatton's hooligan manner of fighting did not bother him at all. It was Kostya Tszyu who was confused by Hatton's wrestling tricks and all sorts of dirty things, but Mayweather himself could give odds to anyone in this, since all his life he did nothing but meet in the ring with all sorts of Latin American comrades and former inhabitants of Negro ghettos. Who in the ring did things worse than Hatton, so Floyd was more than ready for all sorts of "setups".
In December 2008, Hatton and Mayweather finally met and it quickly became clear that the "Great and Invincible" Ricky with his primitive street boxing looks very pale, if not a pity, against the background of such a versatile and cunning fighter as Mayweather. Floyd successfully neutralized bulkheads, swoops, clinches and other tricks from Hatton's arsenal, and then, in the 10th round, neutralized their owner, knocking him out.
The first defeat, apparently, did not really enlighten Ricky, as he immediately rushed to prove to everyone and everything, and first of all to himself, that this was nothing more than an accident. Well, who doesn't happen to? Even the sun has spots, and almost all the great champions have suffered defeat. Instead of drawing conclusions about his unwillingness to face rivals of such a level as Mayweather, Hatton stubbornly continued to rush to the very top of world boxing. And finally broke through. Rather, he ran into it. To such a prodigy and one of greatest boxers of all times and peoples, like Manny Pacquiao.
On a pleasant May evening in 2009, Hatton and Pacquiao met in Las Vegas and competed for the IBO belt. True, the game immediately went to one goal - Pacquiao was at the peak of his career and literally already in the first round declared “Great and terrible” Ricky, knocking him down twice. And in the second round, Manny hammered such a blow into Hatton's head, from which he could not come to his senses for a long time, stretching out on the floor of the ring. It was not a defeat, it was a complete rout, unparalleled in boxing history. Never before has a boxer with 45 victories and only one defeat been defeated in just one and a half rounds.
Pacquiao's punch not only knocked Hatton out, but also turned his whole life upside down - he quit boxing and, as they say, hit all the bad. From now on, alcohol, drugs and intemperance in everything became his constant companions. For three years he was engaged in self-destruction with inspiration, gained almost thirty kilograms excess weight and became a darling of the yellow press, with gusto describing the adventures of the inadequate Ricky.
But then he changed his mind and remembered that he had once defeated Kostya Tszyu himself, and indeed he was a great champion. And earlier this year, Hatton stirred up the British boxing community by announcing that he was returning to boxing. Hatton began to actively train, lost weight, and soon the name of the "whipping boy" became known, for the role of which the Ukrainian boxer Vyacheslav Senchenko was invited. It was with him that Hatton decided to start his next ascent to the boxing Olympus.
Nobody in England doubted that their favorite Ricky would beat up some Senchenko. "The Legend Returns!" and "The great champion is back in the ranks!" - with such headlines the British media greeted Hatton's decision. Even if they talked about Senchenko himself, it was somehow casually. And what can we say about some little-known boxer 35 years old, who, moreover, lost his the last battle by knockout far from the strongest opponent? After all, as day it is clear that the Great Ricky will give him such a spanking, after which the Ukrainian will be taken from the ring by an ambulance.
Senchenko was sent an invitation "to be executed", obliging him to enter the Manchester Arena ring on November 24, where the favorite of the local public, Ricky Hatton, in front of a crowd of twenty thousand, is to teach a master class on cooking "Kiev cutlets". The role of the cutlet, of course, was assigned to Vyacheslav Senchenko. The Ukrainian athlete appeared in the ring exactly and on time and was booed by the friendly and politically correct subjects of Her Majesty, and then another royal subject appeared in the ring - Ricky Hatton. Who was greeted with such enthusiasm, as if not yesterday's drunkard and lover of "foolishness" entered the ring, but the hero of Trafalgar himself - Horatio Nelson.
Encouraged by such support, Hatton immediately rushed into his usual wheelhouse, not forgetting, of course, to mess with trifles in his usual manner, and at first it seemed that Senchenko would not stand. The first two rounds Hatton “pressed” Vyacheslav with all his might, but he was not going to give up and snapped tangibly. By the fifth round, two hematomas appeared on Hatton's face, which made him look not like a two-time ex-champion, but like a client of a sobering-up station. Moreover, over the years of drunkenness and the use of prohibited substances, his face acquired features characteristic of life-savers.
Meanwhile, the battle leveled off, and soon Hatton began to surrender. Still, three years of drunkenness and close acquaintance with the assortment of drag dealers were not in vain for him - Ricky lost speed, no longer moved around the ring as briskly, his punches reached their goal less and less often, and he constantly clinched, frankly trying not to outbox Senchenko, and overcome. Vyacheslav, meanwhile, adjusted himself, took aim and more and more hit, fighting at an advantageous distance for himself. In the ninth round, Hatton again began to use wrestling techniques, and both boxers fell, almost continuing to sort things out while lying on the floor, and at the end of the round Senchenko struck a left hook right in his liver, and Great Ricky got down on all fours. The referee opened the score, but Hatton never got up, and at the end of the score he stretched out tiredly in the ring. A moment later, all 20 thousand people at Manchester Arena realized that their favorite had been banally beaten. And not just beaten, but knocked out.
Ricky Hatton after the fight. Photo from the site allboxing.ru
Vyacheslav Savchenko chalked up the 33rd victory, and Hatton the third defeat. Moreover, this defeat shocked him no less than the defeat from Mayweather and Pacquiao - giving an interview, the Great Ricky almost burst into tears and soon announced that he was now finally leaving boxing. “My heart is broken,” he said, as if it was not about losing the ring, but about divorce.
In general, for a man who recently weighed thirty kilograms more and abused alcohol, Hatton looked quite good and in the first rounds he looked like his old self. But the fact is that the former Hatton was not a boxing ideal and already in his early years constantly criticized for the manner of fighting, which was bluntly and bluntly called dirty. And if this tactic worked with some boxers, especially when the judges turned a blind eye to Hatton's antics, then when they met with the professionals of the highest standard - Mayweather and Pacquiao - it immediately became clear that the champion was “naked”. That his arsenal is not rich, that in the ring he fights more than boxing in the usual sense of the word, that he cannot adapt to the opponent and if he cannot be broken with wrestling and boxing bulk, then Hatton became defenseless. Mayweather fiddled with him for a surprisingly long time, while Pacquiao a boxer of this straightforward, ingenuous type immediately became uninteresting and he did not postpone the matter, putting an end to the fight in the second round.
Senchenko, of course, not Pacquiao and not Mayweather, but even he, being in foreign territory and being booed by the stands, overcame the pressure, was able to quickly "read" Hatton and ended the fight early with a knockout. For which Ricky must thank him, since Vyacheslav may have saved him from much more serious trouble. After all, if Ricky won the fight, then with his characteristic straightforwardness, he would probably begin to make his way upstairs again, not realizing that his time had long passed. And ahead of him would be waiting for much more dangerous rivals than the age Senchenko, whose career is coming to an end.
Summing up all of the above, it remains to admit the obvious - Hatton lost not Senchenko, but lost to himself. Three years spent in an embrace with alcohol and drugs destroyed what little he owned as a boxer. And it was extremely stupid and rash to expect that it would be possible to enter the same river twice. Especially if your name is not George Foreman, but Ricky Hatton.
On October 6, 1978, one of the best British boxers was born, an amazing and adored by the audience, a puncher - Ricky Hatton(45-3, 32 KO). World welterweight champion for his aggressive and entertaining fighting style for 15 years professional career always guaranteed great emotions in the ring.
Ricky was born in Stockport, and from an early age, like most of his peers, was fond of football. The future thunderstorm of the rings took an example, probably, from his grandfather and father, who were professional players in the past. Young Hatton was so good that, playing in small local groups, for children, he was once invited by the coach to Manchester City, and it seemed that football career stands in front of him open. However, unfortunately for football, Ricky soon discovered a new passion - boxing. And I loved her with all my heart. Despite this, football still plays a big role in his life. Ricky in free time continues to play in amateur teams, in addition, he is a loyal and ardent fan of the Blues, and his official song, which has always led him to the ring before fights, was the anthem of Manchester City: "Blue Moon".
As a result of regular boxing training, he quickly made progress, and, interestingly, already at the age of 10 he received his widely known and very suitable for his face nickname "Hired Assassin".
- I've always been a big fan of Tommy Hearns and everyone thinks that it was from him that I took my nickname. But when I first entered the boxing gym I was 10 years old, and wearing gloves, I started pounding the bag violently. Seeing this, my coach said - Look at him, look what kind of devil he will be. It's a little hitman, ”Hatton recalls with a smile.
He competed as an amateur in 1997 and achieved, among other things, seven national junior welterweight titles, and also represented England in 1996 at youth championship the world.
He became a professional at the age of 18 and made his debut in September 1997. The first serious title was received three years later, having won John Thaxton(34-11, 19 KO) and got the prestigious British Isles belt. In 2001, he became the world champion in the little-known version of the WBU ( World boxing Union), whose title he successfully defended 15 times, most of these triumphs took place at the beloved M.E.N. Arena in Manchester.
It was there that in June 2005 he made history by winning ahead of schedule against one of the best fighters those years, without division into weight categories, an outstanding Kostya Tszyu(31-2, 25 KO). The “hit man” fought the then IBF champion as if he were fighting for his life and, as a result, at the end of this great battle won, and ultimately forced to surrender after the eleventh round, Russian-born Constantine. After this defeat, living on a permanent basis in Australia and bearing the eloquent nickname "Thunder from Down Under" Tszyu ended his sports career.
The king is dead, long live the new king. Now it is the Hatton star, which has lit up with great brilliance. Already five months after that resounding triumph, Manchester's Hired Assassin added the WBA belt to their collection, knocking out the Colombian in the ninth round Carlos Mauss(20-5, 18 KO). The next victims of the Briton were such stars as the victory on points at the then WBA welterweight champion, Luis Collazo(37-7, 20 KO), always insanely dangerous Colombian Juan Urango(24-3-1, 19 KOs), then comes tough as steel, whom Hatton knocked out in the fourth round, a wonderful Mexican warrior - Jose Luis Castillo(66-13-1, 57 KO).
Unfortunately, as it usually happens in life, beauty does not last forever. Ricky, very popular all over the world, was brutally dealt with by the one and only Floyd Mayweather Jr.(50-0, 27 KO). In December 2007, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, filled with thousands of British fans, Pretty Boy surpassed the brave and still unbeatable Englishman in 43 fights, defeating him in the tenth round.
Of course, a few months later, namely in May 2008, Hatton returned to the ring defeating a good Juana Lackano(37-5-1, 27 KOs). Back in the same year, in November, he defeated a very fast and extremely uncomfortable Paula Malignaggi(36-8, 7 KO) and in May 2009 came face to face with another star of our favorite sport, Manny Pacquiao(59-7-2, 38 KO).
Fortunately, as in the case of the rivalry with Mayweather Jr., Ricky suffered a crushing defeat. Perfectly adapted "Pak Man" with his terrible blow from the left hand turned off the light for him already in the second round.
This was the end of the great Hired Assassin. True, the Briton returned for another fight in November 2012, but the famous Ukrainian Viacheslav Senchenko(37-2, 25 KOs), with his strong and accurate in the ninth round, explained to him that time cannot be stopped in place, and he is no longer the fighter he used to be.
After hanging his gloves on a nail, Rikki could not cope with the new reality for a long time, as a result of which, after a while, information about his addiction to drugs and appeared in the media. Fortunately, former champion, with the help of his family and professionals, he managed to defeat the pursuers of him, and is currently satisfying himself in the role of trainer and promoter.
Interestingly, many journalists and experts believe that his not-so-athletic lifestyle between fights is largely responsible for Ricky's failures and rapid retirement. The audience's favorite was known for not denying himself anything, and between fights he could gain a lot of weight and weigh more than 80 kilograms, while his starting weight was 63.5 kilograms.
In 1996, Ricky became the bronze medalist of the World Junior Championships, losing in the semifinals to Russian boxer Timur Nergadze, and in 1997 he won the title of the British champion in the light welterweight among amateurs. In 1999, Hatton was named Best Young Boxer by the British Association of Boxing Journalists. His promoter Frank Warren called him "the most talented boxer to appear in Britain since Nasim Hamed."
Long before he became an accomplished amateur boxer, Hatton realized that body punches could be his path to success. “When I was 15, I trained with ex-British champion Pat Barrett, and he knocked me out with a body punch,” Hatton recalled. "I had never been knocked out by a body punch before, and that gave me the impetus to use such punches." Not surprisingly, Hatton's idol is the renowned Roberto Duran, who also loved to work on the corps.
Hatton's debut in the professional ring took place on September 11, 1997, at the age of 18, and his opponent did not last even one round. Three months later, on December 19, 1997, Hatton fought abroad for the first time, in the famous Madison Square Garden, and defeated Robert Alvarez on points in a four-round fight.
On May 29, 1999, in his thirteenth fight in the professional ring, Hatton defeated Dillon Carew by technical knockout in the fourth round and won the WBO International light welterweight title.
After that, he made five successful defenses of his title, and on September 23, 2000, won the WBA International title, defeating Italian boxer Giuseppe Lauri. Less than a month after his bout with Lauri, Hatton added the British light welterweight title to his track record by beating Jonathan Taxton by decision.
Despite the fact that Hatton is stronger than many European and world boxers, he has a tendency to cut, which more than once presented a danger to him.
In a fight with Gilbert Quiros on June 10, 2000, by the end of the first round, Hatton's face was covered with blood, and there was a large swelling under his left eye. However, Hatton, in his usual manner, quickly turned things around. In the middle of the second round, he landed a terrible left hook to the body, which sent Quiros to the floor, and he was unable to get to his feet until a count of 9.
In a victorious battle against Lauri (who before this battle had only one defeat in twenty battles), Hatton allowed the enemy to show his skills in the first three rounds of the battle. Lauri was hit frequently, and Hatton's right eye began to swell. As a result of a head clash in the second round, Hatton smashed his nose. However, Ricky responded successfully with quick and accurate combinations. In the fifth round, a four-hit combination that ended powerful blow left, made Lauri fall onto the ropes. The referee intervened and stopped the fight.
Best of the day
In the fight with Taxton, won on points, Hatton was injured in the first 15 seconds of the fight and was forced to spend the entire fight with a strong dissection over his left eye, which was then stitched with 28 stitches.
On March 26, 2001, Hatton knocked out the Canadian champion in lightweight Tony Pepa in the fourth round and won the vacant WBU light welterweight title. Successful strikes Pep was knocked down twice in the corps in the third round. The last knockdown ended the fight at 2 minutes 31 seconds of the fourth round. “This guy (Hatton) is good at punching,” said Pep, who has never been able to capitalize on his arm length advantage. - He attacks the body in a very dangerous way. I have never met anyone like that before. "
During his third WBU title defense, Hatton recorded a second-round knockout victory over former IBF lightweight champion Freddie Pendleton. Hatton harassed Pendleton with a series of brutal punches to the body. The last was a great left hook, after which the challenger could not stand for two minutes, wincing in pain.
On February 9, 2002, Ricky once again successfully defended his title by winning number four WBC rankings Mikhail Krivolapov by TKO in the ninth round. This fight of Hatton was first shown on Showtime. After defeating Krivolapov, Hatton set his sights on the expected battle with Eamonn Magee. Despite his first career knockdown in the first round as a result of an oncoming right side Magee, Hatton continued to attack. Increasing activity in the final rounds, he celebrated with a score of 116-111 and 115-112 (twice).
On April 5, 2003, Hatton won an impressive unanimous decision victory over former world champion Vince Philips. Hatton controlled the entire course of the fight, as evidenced by the score of the judges' notes: 119-109, 120-107 and 120-108.
A few months later, Hatton entered the ring against a very strong boxer from Ghana Ben Taki. The whole fight took place under Hatton's dictation, and the judges at the end of the fight were unanimous, fixing his victory with a big advantage: 118-110 and 120-109 twice.
On October 1, 2004, Hatton entered the qualifying bout for the title of mandatory contender for the IBF light welterweight title, belonging to the recognized king of this division, Kostya Tszyu. His rival in this battle was the famous american boxer Michael Stewart. Having been knocked down twice in the first round, Stewart could do absolutely nothing with the much stronger Hatton, who won by TKO in the fifth round.
Just two months later, Hatton again defended his title against American Ray Oliveira, knocking him out in the tenth round.
Over American Jesse Vargas and became the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion. "Lenta.ru" recalls other bright fights of the famous boxer.
November 11, 2003. Manny Pacquiao - Marco Antonio Barrera
Pacquiao is the first and so far the only boxer to win titles in eight weight categories... He started with the lightest (up to 50.84 kilograms) and successfully rose to the first middle category (69.91 kilograms). Despite his occupation, Pacquiao is extremely religious. He constantly talks about God at a press conference, and after each fight he thanks the Almighty for his help. also his dislike of gays.
In 2003, in the United States, the 26-year-old Filipino met with the most experienced Mexican boxer Marco Antonio Barrera. In the first round, Pacquiao was knocked down, but this misunderstanding only provoked the athlete who was hungry for victories. He bombarded the venerable opponent with blows throughout the fight. As a result, Barrera himself was knocked down twice, and in the 11th round, the coach could not watch how his ward was simply beaten, and asked to stop the fight. This is Pacquiao's first truly meaningful victory.
May 8, 2004. Manny Pacquiao - Juan Manuel Marquez
Already in the first round, Pacquiao sent the Mexican to the floor three times, but he got up every time. It was a real battle - the fight lasted all 12 rounds, the judges fixed a draw. The Filipino and the Mexican met three more times - Pacquiao took over twice, once Marquez won by knockout.
December 6, 2008. Manny Pacquiao - Oscar De La Hoya
Olympic champion Barcelona-1992 Oscar De La Hoya, nicknamed "Golden Boy" at that time was the most famous of all the Filipino's rivals. To meet him, Park Man jumped to welterweight, bypassing one category. De La Hoya, who had an advantage in height and arm length, was considered the undisputed favorite, but already in the opening it became clear that the experts were deeply mistaken. The American simply did not have time to react to Manny's lightning attacks: despite Long hands"Golden Boy", he got it hard.
Before the ninth round, the American's corner ended the fight, and Pacquiao ascended to boxing Olympus. De La Hoya, by the way, received such a painful blow to his pride that he never returned to the ring - the fight with the Filipino was the last in his career.
May 2, 2009. Manny Pacquiao - Ricky Hatton
The fight was title. Legendary abuser Russian boxer Kostya Tszyu, Briton Ricky Hatton defended the championship belt of the International Boxing Organization (IBO) for the second time. The fight that the audience was expecting did not work out - already in the first round, Hatton was twice in heavy knockdowns. It all ended at the end of the next segment, when the crown flew into Ricky's jaw. left Pacquiao- this knockout was recognized as the best at the end of the year. Another title for the Filipino, and the British were pumped out by doctors for a very long time.